The suspect in the killing of a prostitute in Manhattan told cops to ‘Google the Soho 54 hotel’ after he was arrested for stabbing a woman in Arizona on Sunday.
Raad Almansoori, 26, was today identified as the suspect in the murder of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia after stabbing a woman he dragged into a bathroom in Phoenix.
He then told Arizona cops that he was suspected of homicide in New York and told them to look up the hotel where Oleas-Arancibia was found beaten to death with an iron on February 8.
The NYPD at a press conference on Tuesday revealed new details including that Almansoori was on bail at the time of the murder for attacking another escort in Florida in April. He also confessed to assaulting another three women.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said: ‘We are working with our partners to arrange extradition so he can be charged for the homicide here.’
Raad Almansoori, 26, was arrested by police in Arizona on a separate assault on another woman
A surveillance footage image shows the suspect in the grisly slaying of Oleas-Arancibia, with police saying he was wearing her leggings
When staff discovered her body on the morning of February 8, the 38-year-old was lying beneath a blanket and beside a broken iron, having checked in the day before
Kenny also revealed on Tuesday that Almansoori has an ‘extensive’ out of state arrest history having previously been arrested in Florida, Texas and Arizona.
Almansoori was out on bail at the time of the incidents having been arrested in April 2023 for kidnapping and sexually assaulting another sex worker in Florida.
After being arrested on that charge, he later posted his own bail in September of last year.
When staff discovered the body of Oleas-Arancibia on the morning of February 8, the 38-year-old was lying beneath a blanket and beside a bloody broken iron, having checked in the day before.
Police say that a pair of blood-splattered men’s pants were found alongside Oleas-Arancibia’s body, with cops revealing the suspect was caught on camera fleeing the scene wearing her leggings.
Surveillance photos shows the suspect walking at night along a well-lit Manhattan street, wearing light colored women’s leggings, a black hoodie and tan jacket.
Confirming the timeline of events, Kenny said that Almansoori had purchased a plane ticket from Florida to New York on January 26.
According to Kenny, he then has credit card usage three days later in the Big Apple and visits an escort in Upper Manhattan on February 6.
The body of Oleas-Arancibia is then found on the morning of February 8, and four days later Almansoori is said to have flown back to Arizona from Newark.
Kenny added: ‘In our homicide it seems there was a dispute over the time he was allowed to stay in the room, and that’s what caused the outburst. Which caused the attack.’
Kenny, seen here, also revealed on Tuesday that Almansoori has an ‘extensive’ out of state arrest history having previously been arrested in Florida, Texas and Arizona
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was found dead in a room at SoHo 45 Hotel last Thursday morning
Her death has formally been ruled a homicide (pictured: interior of the room where Oleas-Arancibia was found)
Oleas-Arancibia died of compression to her neck and blunt head trauma, according to a spokesperson for the city medical examiner
Officials in Arizona took him into custody on Sunday after he stabbed a woman in McDonald’s after dragging her into the ladies room and holding her against her will.
Police say that Almansoori was arrested shortly after he tried to flee in a stolen car and admitted while in custody to an earlier stabbing a few days prior on Phoenix.
In that incident, a woman was stabbed when a man attempted to steal her car at knifepoint.
Almansoori was booked into the Maricopa County jail on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and theft in connection with the Surprise incident.
He was also charged with robbery, assault, theft and criminal damage in the separate Phoenix investigation. He is being held without bond.
Kenny added that the extradition could take ‘days, weeks, it could be months’.
Police said last week that they had been using ‘extensive video’ to track down the person of interest in the death of Oleas-Arancibia.
Sources had previously told DailyMail.com that Oleas-Arancibia was a sex worker, having been spotted days before her death on the streets of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens.
A spokesman for the city medical examiner said Oleas-Arancibia died of compression to her neck and blunt head trauma.
She was unconscious and unresponsive when authorities arrived on scene. She sustained significant head trauma and was pronounced dead by EMS.
Her body was found when wellness calls were made to the front desk throughout the evening for her.
It was also reported that one employee walked into her room, despite a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the handle, and left after seeing her on the floor under a blanket.
A bloody iron was found lying by her body. Police also recovered a pair of bloody pants with a receipt in them from the hotel room
Wellness calls were made to the front desk throughout the evening for Oleas-Arancibia
The woman’s son, 18-year-old Edwin Cevallos, spoke to his mother one day before her death.
Cevallos had been living with Oleas-Arancibia and her nephew in an apartment in Queens.
But he said he saw changes in her demeanor a week before the tragedy. ‘She was so nervous and she was worried,’ Cevallos told the Daily News.
The teen said he was ‘in shock,’ adding: ‘Everything here in New York reminds me of her. Everything.’
The Ecuadorian native came to the United States five years ago, leaving behind family including one of her other sons.
‘My mom, she worked very hard,’ said Cevallos, who joined her in the country two years ago.
While the teen conceded that he didn’t know his mother’s occupation, he said she was ‘always working for us to give us the best life in this country.’
Police said last week that they had been using ‘extensive video’ to track down the person of interest in the death of Oleas-Arancibia
Oleas-Arancibia (pictured left) came to the United States five years ago, leaving behind family including one of her sons
The 18-year-old was waiting to meet her Thursday morning and phoned the police when he still didn’t see her at 1 pm.
Cevallos described his mother as ‘a very good person’ who was ‘always helping people’ and ‘never hurt anybody.’
‘She was always paying for everything. She never owed money to anybody. She was always looking to help them move forward,’ the teen said.
He explained that his mother had worked tirelessly to achieve the American Dream and provide a better life for her children.
‘She gave us the life that we always wanted,’ Cevallos said.
The last time he saw her was Wednesday morning, when she cooked him breakfast and paid a barber for his haircut.
Oleas-Arancibia told her son that she loved him as he left for school that day.
‘She was always happy and having fun,’ Cevallos said. ‘I can’t believe this happened.’
SoHo 45, formerly known as the Hampton Inn, advertises rooms for around $110 a night on its website.